Moody Gardens
Photos by Sheldon Dingle
a Texas Treasure
by Sheldon Dingle, Alhambra, California
J
ust as Texas, the "lone star
state" stands alone among the
50 so Moody Gardens stands
alone in Texas. It is a veritable oneof-a-kind jewel that you'll never forget once you visit.
Galveston Island, hOITIe of
Moody Gardens, is just a pleasant 45
minute drive frOITI Houston. As you
approach the island you 11 see across
the bay great pyramids amidst the
lush greenery. And just heyond th
three pyramids lies a tall stately hotel
surrounded hy the paln1s and plants
that put the "gard n" in Moody
Gardens.
Moody Gardens can he an outstanding day-trip that will fascinat
the kids as well as the adults. But, in
truth , one day won't really do it. To
s e all there is and to ahsorh the
wonders within the pyramids do
yourself a favor - stay several days.
Moody Gardens is not just a
garden in the traditional sense - it is
an xciting Jdv nture in the world's
seas, jungles, and even outer space.
And it has an exquisitely comfortahle hot 1 that can serve as your
headquarters while exploring. I
speak fronl experienc . I had the
pleasure of visiting Moody Gardens
earlier this year.
resound fron1 the bar to the check-in
counter. I gazed long at the cheerful
birds zipping around th ir space, as
did lTIany other guests. The lobby
sets the ITIood for the rest of the stay.
The first floor lobhy har (just a
little heyond the aviary) was the perfect setting for a relaxed evening of
good conversation and can1araderie
while the Terrace Restaurant was just
the place for an excellent hreakfast
the next Inorning . And for the lTIOre
fornlal festivities , the ninth floor
Shearn's Restaurant provides dining
elegance and Shearn's Lounge is the
place for after dinner drinks and
social affairs.
Your large 1'00111 will -urpass
your expectations in comfort and
convenience. Mine had a wonderful
view of the pyralTIids , the grounds,
and the hay . Or you can duck out
and enjoy the full service spa and
salon, workout center, or even the
hallroon1 . You won't lack for things
to do or places to go. This is a hotel
to rank with the finest.
An excellent oiew of tbe
A guest in the Moody Gardens Hotel enjoy-
ing the aviary in the hotel lobby.
Th e Discovery Pyram id
With your headqual1ers secured,
it's ju -t a short walk to the pyramids.
Come and explore the extraordinary
world of science at the Discovery
Pyran1id. Spectacular traveling exhibits
from around the country await your
arrival. atisfy your insatiahle hunger
for knowledge with live interactive
delTIonstrations of remarkahle science
experin1ents. The world of science sur-
pyrmnids/rom tbe wn'ter's room,.
The Hote l
Your first stop w ill he the
newly huilt, nine-storey, 303-r001TI
hotel with all the amenities. I've
stayed in hotels throughout the
world and have never h en nlore
delighted and happy than at the
Moody Gardens Hotel. Con1fortahle
is the word.
Even the lobhy will grah you.
In addition to cascading waterfalls, a
lagoon and tropical plants abounding , it has a floor-to-ceiling aviary
filled with plants and hirds including
the technicolor Gou ldians and SOIne
D iamond
doves
whose
coos
the afa WATCI-IBIRD 33
A look at some of the Mayan ruins in the Rainforest Pyramid.
Authentic Mayan
ruins always have
lots of bats.
Exterior view of the Rainforest
Pyramid and grounds.
AFA President Dr. Benny Gallaway (left) and Pat Sharkey,
Moody Gardens Curator of Birds and Mammals, chill out
in the King Penguin aisplay.
34 Third Quarter 2001
rounds you.
On May 29-August 12, Moody
Gardens presents Mad Science at the
Discovery Pyramid.' Mad scientists Professor Pruvitt and Crash, take science out of the classroom and into
the real world to better understand
physics and chemistry. Using wacky
experiments, special effects, and
zany antics, these science gurus
demonstrate how science relates to
everyday life. Audience members
are invited to join Professor Pruvitt
and Crash on stage as they explore
the concepts of molecular movement and exothermic reactions.
If you miss the program ending
August 12, you'll just have to see
what's in store for you when you get
there. The museum changes its
exhibits regularly,
The Aquarium Pyramid
The Aquarium Pyramid houses
one of the largest aquariums in the
world. It is fantastic - with over
130,000 square feet of building
space and a million and a half gallons of water, it can easily take a full
day to experience all. There are
bright, colorful fish by the thousands
(actually over 10,000) and you can
go nose to nose with sharks - look
into their merciless eyes, if you dare.
Of course the glass will keep them
from gnawing your nose but you'll
feel as though you were really under
water with them.
You can visit the four oceans
ranging from the North Pacific
through the Caribbean and South
Pacific to the frigid waters of the
South Atlantic where you'll find the
penguins. Penguins in Texas?
Indeed, dear friend, and you better
hadn't miss them. Pat Sharkey,
Curator of Birds and Mammals, himself went to the southern tip of the
world to gather the eggs. Then the
chicks were housed in a specially
built quarantine facility until they
moved into the Moody Gardens
Aquarium. Now they are full grown
and mighty impressive.
The King Penguins' exhibit has
the ice flows and freezing waters of
their natural home. The air is kept at
a chilly 35° F. while the water is a little warmer. The penguins are most
ungainly on ice or land but veritable
paragons of grace and symmetry
while in the water. It is a great wonder to realize that these flightless,
underwater torpedoes are actually
birds related to those we see flying
and nesting in trees. You can spend
hours watching these penguins
behaving like the amazing creatures
they are
But my years in Alaska cured
me forever of the cold (I was invited
to go inside the chilly display and
visit the penguins up close and personal while freezing my tail). Hence,
when Pat Sharkey observed that I
was about frozen solid, he kindly
escorted me to the Rainforest
Pyramid to thaw out. Not to worry,
unless you get inside the penguin
parlor, you'll be perfectly comfortable throughout all the displays.
The Rainforest Pyramid
Aaaah! A warm 85° with 85%
humidity - just what I love. The
Rainforest Pyramid is my favorite
place at Moody Gardens. It is huge a 10 storey glass greenhouse, if you
will, filled with exotic palms, ferns,
vines - indeed, over 12,000 species
of plants. There are ponds, a 50-foot
high canopy, and birds, birds, birds to say nothing of the myriad butterflies and bats. The butterflies may
actually land on your sleeve but not
to fear the bats, ladies, they are in
their own cave behind glass and
won't pester you.
There are three rainforests
blended together in the pyramid,
African, American, and Asian. All of
the birds, however (except the
macaws who stay on their perches),
are free to wander about the whole
complex and cross borders with
impunity. They totally messed up
my mental map.
The American rainforest is obviously "south of the border" and features Mayan ruins scattered about with
Blue and Gold, and Scarlet Macaws
perching here and there as though
completely at home - which they are.
Other species from American rain-
forests include the Orange-winged
Amazon, Piping Guan, Panama
Yellow-crowned Amazon, HyaCinth
Macaw, Military Macaw, Jandaya
Conure, Green Aracari, and a few
more. Keep in mind that not all the
species are necessarily in the rainforest
at the same time and even when they
are, they are not always easy to spot.
There is a Japanese-style structure that hints of Asia if not quite the
tropical rainforests found a little further south in the Philippines,
Malaysia, or Indonesia. But many of
the birds are certainly from Southeast
Asia. Species include the Palawan
Peacock Pheasant (didn't see any on
my last trip to Palawan), Nicobar
Pigeon, Luzon Bleeding-heart Pigeon,
Bartlett's Bleeding-heart Pigeon,
Moluccan Imperial Pigeon, and several additional fruit doves.
The Amazon parrots and the
macaws hang around their respective
perches and are thus not overly
destructive to the foliage. The Asian
parrots are missing, I suspect, because
they are highly mobile and chew up
the plants aggressively.
Representing Africa are some
whydas, several species of ducks,
Senegal Parrot, Livingston's and Redcrested Turacos, assorted waxbills
including Orange-cheeked, Blackcrowned, and Black-rumped. There
were other finches I couldn't place.
Because birds are beautiful and
exciting to watch, Moody Gardens
has generously included a few
species of birds from outside the
rainforest habitats. You may notice a
wonderfully tame and friendly
Princess of Wales Parrot, an Eastern
Rosella, and the Hooded Parrot, residents of the Australian drylands and the Baikal Teal is from the
Siberian wilderness. But it is to our
advantage and pleasure to see as
many species as possible. This pyramid is a bird lover's delight.
Indeed, the whole Moody
Gardens experience is a delight. I
spent a couple of days there and just
scratched the surface. I hope to
return with my wife (she'll love
Moody Gardens) and spend another
few days of quality time. .,...
the afa WATCHBIRD 35